Missing Kids
460,000 children are reported missing every year in the United States. It is an alarming number for everyone, and millions of families are affected by this issue, especially when unfortunately a big percentage of these cases aren’t solved.
But every missing child case is different, and this one had a collaborator that provided investigators the missing piece of the puzzle.
Disasters
Crises and moments of difficulty such as the disappearance of a child require the effective work of all those involved: the family, neighbors, the police, and on many occasions, the entire community of an area.
In these cases, the collaboration of all the agencies, especially during the first hours, are key to being able to satisfactorily solve the case. For this particular case, things would take an unexpected turn.
Beth Campbell
Beth Campbell is a loving grandmother, on June 2018 she was watching her granddaughter and had planned a whole afternoon full of activities for them to do. From watching her granddaughter's favorite cartoons to preparing her favorite dessert.
Beth wanted to make her granddaughter's afternoon very special. What she didn’t plan was what happened after.
A problem
On the mentioned day, Beth was taking care of Charlee, her granddaughter. They were having an excellent moment watching Frozen together, but Beth had to get up and go to a different room.
For Beth, this was the moment that marked her life, and what would happen next confirms the seriousness of the matter.
Vulnerable State
While her grandmother was in the other room, Charlee decided to take a walk around her grandmother's house and explore a bit. Being a little girl without supervision and also in an age where exploring is part of her daily activities, of course, she got lost.
She stepped out onto the patio that connected to large acres of unpopulated forest, and what she did next was incredible.
Beth’s side
When Beth turned around and didn't see Charlee, she started freaking out and looking around the house for her granddaughter.
Her concern increased every time she stepped foot in a room and Charlee wasn’t there. She with all her heart expected to see the little girl playing, then, she realized Penny (her dog) wasn’t there either. At this moment she decided to go to the patio and found something else.
Empty House
After checking in every inch of the house, Beth noticed she was losing valuable time if Charlee was missing, so she decided to call the authorities so they can put their knowledge to work and she could find her beloved granddaughter.
The police immediately reacted. In cases like this, the first hours are key to find the missing kid. But their discovery was crazy!
Penny was lost too
A team of more police officers than she could count was rapidly at Beth’s house taking note of everything they could catch to help solve this missing toddler’s case. The investigation was limited, not only to her home and surroundings. They took in special consideration the entire land after her backyard.
Another thing they found relevant was that Penny, her dog, was lost too. Maybe they were together? Soon this will become a key piece for the case…
What they knew
Charlee was presumably with her dog Penny, a big white pitbull. The officers got a picture of her and a description of the clothing she was wearing before getting lost: 3 feet tall girl, shoulder-length blonde hair, brown eyes, and was wearing a frozen pajama set.
Now with a detailed description, and proper pictures they felt prepared to initiate the search of the little girl. Not all of them noticed that something was off...
A Big Search
The authorities and the group in charge of the case arranged a hunt to find Charlee and Penny. They needed to search every inch of the land and make sure that she wasn’t there first, and then, evaluate other options.
With all the equipment - trucks, vans, and the collaboration of a broad group of the police force - Beth and the officers in charge decided to make a decision that could change the outcome of the search.
Need Help
Based on previous search cases: the more, the better. The police figured that a smart choice would be to call the neighbors and community for help so that whoever wanted, would be able to volunteer in the search for Charlee and Penny.
In this way, they expected to cover more space, in less time. And thus take advantage of the most crucial hours. Now, was Charlee there? They would soon find out...
Great answer
The small town answered with compassion and the will to help was massive. Everyone that knew Beth and even people who didn’t, volunteer to help in the search of Charlee and Penny.
The information the crew had was released for everyone that showed up, and the hopes of finding her were high given the number of people participating in the search. The authorities certainly knew it wasn’t going to be an easy case, for them, it wasn’t as encouraging as it was for everyone else. Who was right?
Starting the Search
The officials and volunteers started the search on Thursday morning. Everyone began the search around the Campbells' property, many were afraid that Charlee might drown in one of the nearby lakes or come across a dangerous animal.
Therefore, the first places that were visited were those with small creeks. While the specialized search groups were expanding the search trough the long stretches of land. But something was happening while the search was taking place.
The story continues
After almost 12 hours of walking and looking for the little girl, at 9:30 p.m., the search was paused for everyone except for a specially-trained task force that kept searching for her throughout the night.
A feeling was growing among the community: pure preoccupation and frustration."It's frustrating. It really really is," Chief Erik Butler said on Thursday. "I've been out here since 10:30 this morning and still nothing.". Everyone started to think of the worst until an unexpected piece of the case showed up.
Special Equipment
The search groups made up of officers, firemen and specialized members used all the tools at their disposal both in the day and night search: thermal imaging cameras, search dogs, helicopters, and ground vehicles.
But the results overnight were the same, the thing that might change their luck will only appear on Friday.
Paws for the rescue
On Friday morning, the second day of searching for Charlee began. Beth, stayed home in case anyone had any information, or if Charlee showed up. Since Thursday morning, Beth has been lamenting her mistake and waiting for any positive news about her granddaughter’s case.
Feeling desolate and completely destroyed Beth looked out the window. And approaching her on for paws came the beam of light that hundreds of people in Kentucky prayed for.
Penny is home
Many might interpret Penny's arrival without Charlee as alarming, but Beth knew her canine friend, and she knew that her return only meant that Charlee was safe.
But could this be true? A few houses away someone was making their own discovery.
Wayne’s Visitor
A man who lived a few houses from the Campbell’s, and who the previous afternoon had participated in the search for the little girl, looked through his door to find a small head with blonde hair smiling at him: it was Charlee!! And she was still wearing her Frozen pajamas.
He couldn't believe it, and when he tried to grab her he noticed something that worried him.
Bad Shape
The girl certainly wasn’t in her best shape, after all, she had spent more than 24 hours lost in the woods and by herself. She was dirty and had bruises all over her body, but there was no worrying wound visible.
Spending more than a day without drinking water made her very dehydrated, which worried Wayne. Then he decided to make an important call.
What happened to her?
Immediately after helping the little girl, the kind man called the authorities and Beth to calm them down and tell them that the girl was safe in his house eating a snack.
The relief in Beth's voice was palpable through the phone, and she couldn't help crying with joy after seeing the little girl reaching her arms out to her. But now, something very important had to be done.
Medical Evaluation
Doctors had to evaluate the injuries immediately to determine that the little girl was in good condition. And later, the whole town and authorities different theories began to emerge, what happened to her while she was lost?
This question was around their heads, and the answer had an unexpected hero!!
Penny, the hero
"Penny came home," Beth Said "And not two minutes later here come Charlee down the hill. It gives me cold chills." The most credible theory puts Penny, the white Pitbull as the hero, it is believed that she was taking care of Charlee during the 32 hours she was lost, watching that nothing happened to her and getting her home safely.
And what a job she did! Charlee was in very good condition despite everything she went through, but how did they manage to go unnoticed?
Questions without answers
Officers claim to have searched the area Charlee was in multiple times, so how did she do it? It is a mystery to all, and it will remain so.
Many even doubt if Charlee was actually lost in the woods, and while she was lost many rumors questioning the family’s decisions and motives were started. Thankfully they stopped after the toddler was found safe. But the town was surprised by what Sheriff Tinnell had to say!
Unbelievable
"I can't believe she survived it," Tinnell said. "There's coyotes in them hills. There's copperheads and rattlesnakes and ticks -- all the elements. And somehow she came out in pretty good shape."
The important part of the story was that Charlee was safe and that Penny certainly played an important role in it, which is why Campbell’s made a decision.
Celebration
As a reward for the incredible job Penny did taking care of the little girl, Beth organized a small celebration for the pitbull, full of fun games and an afternoon with delicious food and doggy friends.
After all, it was more than deserved! And she had a great time!
She is everything!
Natalie Quick, Charlee's mother, thanked all the volunteers and agencies that helped in the search for her daughter. For her, those were the worst days of her life, although she does not have custody of her little girl, she visits her daily and loves her with all her heart.
However, many of the rumors about whether the little girl was actually in the forest kept coming.
Investigations against the family.
During Charlee's disappearance, the family was investigated: the Campbells, Natalie and her boyfriend, Charlee’s father, and even distant cousins. None appeared to be related to her disappearance.
The family, the press, and the general public put Penny as the heroine, and the evidence pointed to it. But, did the Campbell’s learn their lesson?
Learning the lesson
Both Beth and Natalie stated multiple times that they learned from this situation like never before. That Charlee is the priority and that leaving her without supervision can lead to a situation as horrible as the one they experienced, but with a worse result.
In order not to forget it, Beth decided to get a tattoo of her granddaughter's name and remember forever what she learned from these fateful days.